L-ACOUSTICS KARAi Makes Waves In New Cruise Ship Installation

HAMBURG, Germany -- An L-ACOUSTICS KARAi modular WST line source system for permanent installation has been installed into the 881-seat Celebrity Theatre of the Mein Schiff 2 cruise ship.

The system consists of six KARAi cabinets and four SB28 subs in cardioid mode per side, with three 8XT coaxials as front fill. "There were a few reasons why we chose an L-ACOUSTICS system," says Ingo Rippe from German systems integrator Protones, which also owns a KARA system for rental. "The first reason was the performance of the KARAi and SB28.

"In addition, an advantage of L-ACOUSTICS' amplified controllers is the possibility of remote monitoring, as well as AES/EBU and analog signal connection. These options are always an advantage, but especially onboard a ship where they are installed in a room quite distant from the stage and FOH position. As well as the cruise ship staff, occasionally engineers from guest bands and shows also work on it, so it was important to install a familiar system." However, it was the system's ability to perform in an unconventional location, directly behind the performance area of the circular stage, that has really impressed Rippe. "The position for the stacked PA specified by the customer is quite unusual, with much of the performance space located in front of the speakers, so we were worried if the required gain-before-feedback was possible," he explains. "We were amazed by the gain-before-feedback performance of the KARAi system."

"It was, indeed, a difficult setup, with the PA behind the performance area," adds L-ACOUSTICS application engineer Paul Van Baasbank. "Even though the acoustics in the theatre are very absorbing, the system has sufficient headroom to provide the kind of levels the performances demand."

L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for touring and installed sound markets. Known around the globe for pioneering and championing the modern line array loudspeaker concept with V-DOSC, the company has received numerous accolades for its K1, KUDO, KARA, KIVA, ARCS, XT coaxial loudspeaker systems and SB line of subwoofer enclosures, all powered and processed with the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers in fulfillment of a "total system approach." L-ACOUSTICS products for the US market are distributed by L-ACOUSTICS US of Oxnard, California.